Biting into one is a true sensory experience – as you bite down, your teeth crack through the delicate snap of tempered dark chocolate into the squidgy Jaffa orange jelly, finishing off with a comforting bounce of delicate sponge cake.

And the flavours…. well who can argue with the truly exquisite combination of orange and dark chocolate?

No one I know!

This snack item is quite deceptive. They are so light and moreish – before you know it – you’ve gobbled up half the pack. And so the only option is to destroy the evidence!

There is another problem with the humble Jaffa Cake. It contains wheat flour (gluten – nasty stuff), refined sugars, and preservatives. We don’t need or want these things in our food. So I took it upon myself to re-invent the Jaffa Cake, making it gluten-free, refined sugar-free and preservative free!

I bet you’re thinking ‘yeah, alright, but I bet it’s also taste-free too!’

Well, you would be wrong!

These babies are truly epic. You get the same flavour burst and texture combination that makes for a totally immense sensory experience – without any of that yucky business.

How did you manage that? – you ask!?

Well just take a wee look!

Gluten-Free Primal Jaffa Cakes

Makes: 12   Takes: 40mins

Ingredients:
2 large free range eggs
50g(1.76oz) raw coconut palm sugar
50g(1.76oz) ground almonds

2 large oranges (preferably Jaffa)
1 Tbsp orange marmalade (optional)
1 (11g/0.38oz) sachet gelatine OR 4 leaves of gelatine sheets (soaked)

150g (5.5oz) dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)

Make the sponge

• Pre-heat oven to 180 C/350 F. Grease a 12 hole cupcake/muffin tin
• Place the eggs and coconut palm sugar in a heat resistant bowl. Place on top of a pan of simmering water making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water
• Whisk the eggs and sugar (by hand or using an electric hand beater) until it reaches the ribbon stage. This should take 4-5 minutes with an electric beater, and 5-10 minutes by hand
• Add the ground almonds and mix to combine
• Divide the mixture evenly between the 12 muffin holes. I found it useful to use my medium sized scoop to portion these out evenly
• Place in the middle of the oven and bake for 8-10mins. They should spring back when gently pressed
• Gently remove out of the baking pan, and leave to cool on a wire rack

While the sponge is baking, make the jelly

• Line a square brownie tin with plastic wrap – allow excess over-hang
• Zest 1 orange, and place the zest in a saucepan. Juice the 2 oranges (you should hopefully get around 150-200ml of juice – that’s just over 1/2 cup-3/4 cup) place this into the saucepan along with the (optional) tablespoon of marmalade
• Heat the mixture up until the marmalade has dissolved. Make sure the mixture doesn’t boil
• Once the mixture has heated up, sprinkle the gelatine onto the surface and whisk briskly until the gelatin is thoroughly dissolved and incorporated into the mix
• Gently pour the liquid into the tin and fold over the excess plastic wrap to touch the surface
• Allow this to cool to room temperature before placing in the fridge to set properly.

Putting the Jaffa cakes together and chocolate coating them

• Take your jelly out the fridge, making sure it has set fully. Then cut 12 rounds slightly smaller than the tops of the sponge cakes
• Place the jelly on top of the sponge
• Chop your dark chocolate and put it into a microwavable bowl
• Warm up your chocolate at half power in 30 second bursts mixing gently between each 30-second burst
• Be patient and make sure not to over-heat your chocolate. You want to keep that chocolate tempered to ensure a nice crisp shell (for that full sensory experience!)
• Once the chocolate is ready, using a silicone pastry brush – any of these will do – brush the chocolate over the top of the jelly allowing it to coat the sides and just onto the surface of the sponge
• Leave them to set on a wire rack
• Arrange them on a pretty plate and serve to guests – OR – devour and repeat recipe, then serve!

The recipe does look long and a little overwhelming but it’s really not so difficult and it’s worth the effort! It may be wordy but I just wanted to make sure you get all the steps right!

If you are just after the gluten-free (and aren’t so worried about the refined sugar) feel free to use the jelly recipe from here to fill your Jaffa cakes. I tested this recipe but actually found that the flavour of the orange jelly using the fresh orange juice produced a more authentic Jaffa cake taste.

True story!

As a way to control myself I try to make the foods that I’m craving. That way I appreciate them more, and more importantly, I can control what goes in them – which is pretty important when you’re trying to eat a Primal diet.

Some people may argue over the true primal-ness of dairy – and whether it should be a part of our adult diet. I admit that I should cut back a little on my dairy consumption – but I find that I cope just fine with a little dairy in my diet.

Do whatever works for you!

I would recommend checking the ingredients list of the cream cheese you buy. I found that a brand like Philadelphia contains all kinds of additives, and my supermarket own brand soft cheese simply lists: milk. I like that! Or better yet – make your own cream cheese! But who has time for such things?!

Cheesecake is not something I eat often and so I wanted to have something as close to the real deal as possible! Without all those additives, all that gluten and those refined sugars.

It was only when the first crops of forced rhubarb hit the shelves that I thought it would be a brilliant idea to make a Rhubarb Cheesecake!

AND whats goes brilliantly with rhubarb…. GINGER of course!

There were so many ways in which I could have gone about putting this cheesecake together but in the end I decided to make a ginger cheesecake and use the rhubarb as a compote to accompany it.

My recipe came to be with a little help from Adriana at Living Healthy with Chocolate.

Primal Ginger Cheesecake with Rhubarb Compote

Makes: 1 8-inch cake   Takes: 2.5hrs

Crust
Ingredients:
1/2 cup pecans
1 cup ground almonds/almond meal
1 Tbsp Raw Honey
1/2 tsp ground ginger
6 Tbsp Butter/coconut oil (melted)

• Preheat oven to 150 C/300 F
• Place pecans in a food processor with blade attachment. Process until finely ground
• Add ground almonds, honey, ground ginger and melted butter – process until it all comes together
• Press into the base of a greased and lined 8 inch spring-form pan
• Bake for 10-12mins. Set aside to cool

Cheesecake Filling
Ingredients:
450g full fat cream cheese (at room temperature)
1 cup full fat Greek yoghurt
4 large eggs
15g fresh stem ginger (grated)
3 Tbsp raw coconut palm sugar

• Turn oven temperature down to 110 C/230 F
• Cream together the cream cheese, yoghurt and coconut palm sugar until light and fluffy
• Add eggs to the mixture, one at a time
• Finely grate the fresh ginger and fold it into the mix
• Pour mixture on top of cooled base. Place in the oven and bake for about 1.5 hours. Start checking from 1 hour. You will notice that it will be wobbly in the centre. You want to bake this until it JUST stops wobbling. For me it took 1.5 hours in a fan assisted oven
• Switch off oven leaving the door slightly a jar and let the cake cool with the oven. After 20-30mins, remove from oven and set aside to cool
• Once the cheesecake is at room temperature, you can cover and place it into the fridge to chill until you are ready to serve

Rhubarb Compote
Ingredients:
400g fresh rhubarb stems
250ml water
20g coconut palm sugar
35g raw honey

• Preheat oven to 180 C/350 F
• Chop rhubarb stems into even pieces, lay them evenly in a shallow dish
• Dissolve the coconut palm sugar and honey in the water, then pour over the rhubarb
• Place dish in oven, and roast for 15mins, until the rhubarb is tender but still holds its shape.
• Leave to cool

When ready to serve, slice cheesecake (best done when cheesecake has been well chilled, preferably overnight) and top with a couple of spoons of rhubarb compote.

I found that the ginger cheesecake on its own was was quite delightful – and that it didn’t really need the compote. Don’t get me wrong, the tart rhubarb compote was a welcome contrast to the creamy and gingery cheesecake – but if you were to skip the rhubarb this dessert will not disappoint!

You could even serve this with another complimentary ingredient to ginger… chocolate for example. Ooo or a citrus curd, lemon OR lime would work great along-side the ginger. Or go exotic and pair the cheesecake with perfectly ripe mango slices. Oh, I could go on and on!

Notes:
I found the base to be a little on the soggy side – I guess this could be because it’s made with nuts. Next time I may try using coconut palm sugar instead of honey and maybe coconut oil instead of butter to see if that makes a difference.

In a further attempt to rid the cheesecake base of moisture – I will attempt next time to drain the cream cheese and yoghurt of as much moisture as possible by straining it though some cheesecloth.

I couldn’t say no to these beautiful figs – even if they do come all the way from South Africa. I’m not usually a big fan of buying foods with lots of air-miles… but they are from my homeland and it would therefore only be rude not to buy them!

I was never a big fan of figs when I was younger. They often found their way into the kitchen in dried form – and therefore fresh figs where always a little bit of a mystery!

There was also the story of my dad’s childhood experience. Having just picked figs off the tree in his back garden – He took a healthy bite into one fresh off the tree only to look down and discover that the inside was crawling with ants… some may argue he was getting a healthy dose of protein with those carbs, but that’s enough to put someone off figs for life!

I always cut open and check my figs before eating!

Who could possibly resist the bold pink tones of the flesh of these sweet juicy nuggets of fruity pleasure?

To me, the best way to prepare a fig (if you’re not gonna eat it fresh) is oven roasting it…

…with a drizzle of honey.

This recipe could not be more simple, or more delicious.

Honey Roasted Figs

Makes: as many as you wish (although I would suggest 1.5-2 figs per person)   Takes: 20 mins

Ingredients:
Figs
Honey
Walnut Halves

• Pre-heat your oven to 180C/350F
• Line a baking sheet with foil or baking parchment
• Slice the figs in half and lay (cut side up) out onto the baking sheet
• Place a walnut half on top of each fig
• Drizzle with Honey – don’t over do it. You want the honey to bring out the sweetness of the figs, not over-power it!
• Place the sheet in the centre of the oven and let them roast for about 15 mins – be sure to check them around 10 mins as all ovens tend to be different. They may need up to 20-25mins.
• Once done, transfer onto a serving dish (or plate up each individual serving – oooo how posh!) and devour whilst warm!

Feel free to add a dollop of whipped cream/coconut cream, mascapone or vanilla ice cream next to these bad boys for a truly decadent dessert.

YUM!

Well, but of course! But… What shall we snack on while tasting these wines!?

Cheese!

Obviously.

Now, I’m not one to pass off the opportunity to have a sip of wine here and there, so when duty called…

With our wedding coming up (less than 60 days to go! Arghhhh!) we needed to taste some wines to be served at the reception.

I suggested the brilliant idea of tasting the reds with a nice spread of cheese. So I popped over to the local store, and bought myself a good selection of quality cheeses.

Danish Blue, Goats cheese, Camembert, Smoked Brie & Gouda – with that sorted I searched the shelves for a chutney to accompany (that contained no wheat or corn flour as a thickener) and set off home to assemble the cheeseboard!

But… wait a minute! What am I going to serve the cheese on!? I can’t very well serve them a-top a generic cheese cracker – No. This called for a primal cracker like no other!

I took the recipe I used for my Onion and Sesame Almond Crackers and flipped it a few degrees to make these delectable cracker babies. By swapping a few of the flavour elements and adding in some shaved parmesan cheese (because the cheeses on the cheeseboard weren’t nearly enough, obviously) I transformed some punchy crackers into serious taste-bud spiking gems!

Like the crackers I’ve made before, these are simple to throw together, easy to bake and satisfy the primal eater’s need for something to put that cheese onto (assuming, of course, you’re one of those primal eaters that can tolerate dairy).

On top of the fact that these hold up some fabulous flavours, they’re also gluten free!

Rosemary and Parmesan Almond Crackers

Makes:50 pieces  Takes:35mins

Ingredients:
2 cups Ground Almonds
2 Tbsp Dried Rosemary
2 Tbsp Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 Tbsp Sesame Seeds
1/2 tsp Onion Granules
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
1 Egg (beaten)
2-3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• preheat oven to 180 C/350 F
• measure and combine all dry ingredients – mix well
• add beaten egg and olive oil mix until it forms a ball
• divide mixture in 2
• roll between 2 pieces of parchment paper until about 2-3mm thick. score the surface into desired size and shape of crackers
• place onto a baking sheet, bake for 20-30mins until golden brown
• cool on wire rack, break apart and serve as desired

I chose to serve these with a cheese board but they could be just as delicious if served up with some dips or used as part of a lunch box.

I’m looking forward to playing around with a few more flavour combinations!

… Now I’m sure you’re wondering how the wine tasting went – aside from the delicious cheese and crackers of course. Well, Let’s just say we finally came to a decision and we were all pretty merry by the end of it!

Good Times!

What better way to enjoy the food of the gods than in rich, dense and powerful cake-like form?

I say cake-like because this isn’t really a cake – not in the sense that I know of cake; to me a cake needs to be fluffy, light and, to be honest, have a little more height to it. This is not a pie or a tart either.  One could liken its texture to something like a brownie – it is dense, fudgey and intoxicating in its chocolatey-ness. I have decided to label this delicious baked good as a torte.

This temptress of a dessert packs a real punch. There is A LOT of dark chocolate AND cocoa powder involved in this recipe. It is gluten, nut and (any kind of) flour free. This baby would be acceptable to a vast number of people – unless of course they don’t like chocolate; but let’s be realistic – anyone who doesn’t like chocolate needs their head checked!

I came across this recipe a few weeks ago when looking for something that was both nut and gluten free. I was baking for a friend’s bridal shower/kitchen tea. The lady of the hour is allergic to nuts, and her sister is gluten intolerant so in an effort to please them both I searched for a recipe that could fulfil both their dietary requirements. It just so happened that it also allowed room to satisfy my requirements as a primal enthusiast.

This recipe uses a short list of ingredients and an even shorter method – therefore this should please anyone who hates spending too much time in the kitchen.

In short – This recipe pleases pretty much everyone!

To make this more Primal-acceptable – I adapted the sweetener from the original recipe which I found here.

By replacing the caster sugar with unrefined coconut palm sugar I made this an almost guilt-free treat. But believe me – this stuff is so good – you’ll think you’ve just sinned BIG TIME!

I’d like to try this with honey at some point – it may make the texture even better. If you experiment with that – please let me know how it turns out!

Primal Chocolate Torte
Adapted from a recipe by Shana Hillman

Makes: One 8 inch pan/tart dish  Takes: 45mins

Ingredients:
120g Dark Chocolate ( I used Lindt 70%)
120g Unsalted Butter
150g Coconut Palm Sugar
80g Cocoa Powder
3 Eggs (beaten)
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 pinch Sea Salt

• preheat oven to 150C/300F. Grease an 8/9 inch tart pan.
• place the butter and chocolate in a bowl, over a double boiler and let it melt, very gently
• meanwhile, beat your eggs then add vanilla extract
• place all of your dry ingredients – coconut palm sugar, salt and cocoa powder (sifted) – into a bowl
• when your butter and chocolate have melted, remove from heat
• add egg, incorporating fully, then fold in the dry ingredients
• once the mixture is combined, pour into tart pan and spread evenly
• place in your preheated oven for 25-30mins
• remove from the oven and cool

Serve as a dessert – warm with cream/ice cream and some tart, fresh berries. Or let cool to room temperature and enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee – add the cream and berries for extra indulgence.

You could amp up the decadence scale and top this with a luscious chocolate ganache to turn it into a seriously dangerous indulgent treat.

I had never tasted lemon curd until I was the age of about 10. I remember thinking it was one of the most delicious yet unusual breakfast spreads I’d ever tasted. I was more familiar with spreads such as peanut butter, jam, honey, maybe even the occasional treat of chocolate spread. I never acquired a taste for marmalade, and the bitterness that comes with it. So tasting this unusual citrus spread, which was both sweet & sour culminating in a smooth and creamy mess was a totally new experience.

Little did I know that the versatility of lemon curd could stretch so far! I later discovered it works amazingly as a filling for cakes, or used within pie crusts or tart shells. Not just (generously) spread over toast.

You’re probably wondering how I could possibly have lived such a sheltered life, having never tasted a lemon meringue pie until I was at least 12 – I too wonder the same!

This may have had something to do with me making a bee-line for chocolate related desserts, but as my palette matured and developed, I began to appreciate the greater things in the culinary world.

The other day, my dad had some friends over to play cards, and the evening is often rounded off with teas and coffees along with some cake and savory snacks. I’m often roped into making something for this – which I find is always a great opportunity to try out a new recipe or improve on a old favourite.

This particular occasion, I decided that I wanted to make something that allowed me to explore some primal recipes, but make it user friendly towards the (non-primal) clientelle.

I don’t know what made me think of Lemon Meringue Pies – possible just a personal craving of mine, but I thought it would be great to make the filling primal – surely there is a recipe out there for primal friendly lemon curd!?

I did some research and discovered this great recipe which uses honey as the sweetener.

I followed the recipe and produced a delicious, smooth and silky lemon curd. As the linked recipe suggests, this is a Lemon Honey curd, and you really can taste the honey.

I’m very keen to attempt this recipe another time using less honey and if I can get hold of them, some Meyer lemons. They are a sweeter lemon (the taste of a lemon and tangerine combined) which I hope would help to round out the flavour of this curd with a reduced honey content. Unfortunately Meyer lemons are out of season… and from what I understand impossible to get hold of here in the UK anyway – therefore I’ll have to wait for the season and hit up every gourmet food market I can!

In the mean-time, I might consider investing in a plant… although I’ve not got a great track record with plants… but we shall see!

I doubled the recipe from Friday Delights – because I wanted to use the curd for both a batch of mini lemon meringue pies, and to have some left over.

Primal Lemon Curd

Makes: 3 cups Takes: 15 mins

Ingredients:
10 large Egg Yolks
2 large Eggs
1 1/3 cups freshly squeezed Lemon Juice (about 6-8 lemons)
2 teaspoons grated Lemon Zest
3/4 cup Honey
8 tablespoons Butter (unsalted) cubed

• start by zesting your lemons
• then warm up and roll the lemons between your hands to encourage the juices. Using a hand held or electric juicer, extract as much lemon juice outta them fruits as possible. You can always save any left overs for another recipe
• place ingredients except the butter into a bowl and combine, then place the bowl over a pot of simmering water – making sure the water doesn’t touch the bowl, and stir
• continue stirring for 10-12 mins while the mixture thickens. It will be slow at first, but will suddenly thicken at the 9-10 min mark. You’ll want to keep it moving and thickening for a little while longer. This will produce a sturdier product
• once you have reached your desired consistency, remove the bowl from the heat
• add the cubed butter and keep stirring to fully incorporate and cool the mixture
• once the butter has been well incorporated, transfer into a shallow dish and cover the surface with clingfilm to avoid a crust forming
• let the lemon curd cool down a bit before placing in the fridge until you’re ready to use it

For my dad’s card evening, I made some (non-primal) miniature lemon meringue pies. I made a simple pate sucre, which I rolled to 2-3mm thick and then cut into circles, which I placed into a muffin pan making small tart shells.

Pate Sucre

Makes: 20 mini tart shells   Takes: 5 mins + 30mins chilling time

Ingredients:
250g Soft Flour
1 pinch Salt
125g Butter (unsalted)
65g Caster Sugar
1 Medium-Large Egg
1-2 drops Vanilla Extract

• begin by sifting your flour and salt together, set aside
• cream together your butter and sugar
• gently beat your egg to break it up, then add bit-by-bit to your butter and sugar mixing well between each addition
• once well combined, add vanilla extract
• mix in sifted flour and salt, until the mixture  JUST comes together, bring into a ball and flatten
• cover in cling film and leave it to rest in the fridge for 30mins or more (the longer the better)
  

I then placed a cupcake liner on top of each pastry disc and filled with baking beans; after blind baking for 10mins I removed the beans and liners, and then baked them for a further 5-6mins until they were a nice golden brown.

I left these to cool.

Once I was ready to assemble the tarts, I filled the mini tart shells with 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of lemon curd, and then topped them off with an Italian meringue which I browned with a blow torch.

Italian meringue

Ingredients:
60g egg whites
120g caster sugar
water

• place the egg whites in a stand mixer, or bowl if using a hang whisk
• with the sugar in a small saucepan, JUST cover the surface with water and place on the stove at medium heat
• once the sugar has dissolved turn the heat up and begin to whisk your egg whites
• once the sugar syrup reaches around 120C/248F remove from the heat
• reduce the speed of your mixer and slowly and steadily, pour your sugar syrup into you egg whites along the side of the bowl. Be careful that stuff is HOT
• once all the sugar has been added, turn up the speed of your mixer to max, and continue to mix until your meringue drops in temperature. you should have a sturdy and glossy Italian meringue

Transfer this to a piping bag, with a round or star-tipped nozzle. Pipe meringue onto your tartlets and finish by using a blow torch to burn the top or place under the grill/broiler for a few minutes.

(unfortunately I wasn’t able to photograph the ones I made with the fresh Italian meringue, but I saved a few shells, baked off the surplus meringue, filled the tarts with left-over curd and then topped them with crushed baked meringue)

Even though these were a quick fix solution because I couldn’t be bothered didn’t have time to make a small batch of Italian meringue – I feel they are still appealing, and add something in the texture department. The buttery crisp bite of the tart shell, with the sweet but tangy lemon curd topped with sweet crunchy meringue. YUM – E!

Have you ever wondered what to do with your almond flour that is just too coarse for making macarons?

Here is a super delicious and healthy idea!

Making breadcrumb-free ‘breaded’ fish fingers (or as you wonderful people across the pond like to call them – fish sticks) is a great way to keep meals fun and makes a change from all those fancy herbs and posh crusts people seem to be adding to their fish these days (not to say I dislike such things!)

Who doesn’t LOVE a portion of fish fingers – especially when you have some tartar sauce to drench them in!

I reckon there are a lot of you out there whose parents fed them fish fingers far more than they should have, I know it certainly happens now. Parents feeding their kids breaded, processed ‘meats’ and ‘fish’ – it’s enough to make you sick!

I should really thank my parents; I may have been overweight for all of my childhood but my parents were just doing what they thought was right, keeping up with the conventional wisdom of healthy eating. At least they had the sense to know processed foods weren’t great for my brother and I but certain childhood memories stick…

Fish fingers to me were more than just a quick weekday meal, even more than just a treat! Fish fingers remind me of some very distinctive smells, emotions and tastes. My brother and I always got fish fingers when my parents went out with their friends for dinner.

When I think of fish fingers – I think of the smell of my mom’s YSL Opium perfume, I think of the smell and taste of Koo tomato sauce, I also remember crying (because I wasn’t allowed to go out with my parents) but my tears were always wiped away with the promise of mighty fish fingers!

Now that the sentimental story is out the way – let’s get down to it!

Almond Crusted Fish Sticks and Tartar Sauce
Inspired by Paleo Comfort Foods

Makes: 15 pieces  Takes: 30-35 mins

For the Fish-
Ingredients:
600g cod loins (or any other strong white fish)
60g ground almonds (coarse is good)
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper

• preheat oven to 180 C/350 F and line or lightly grease a baking sheet
• start by mixing together the ground almonds, paprika and pepper into a wide shallow dish
• rinse and then dry your pieces of fish
• place fish onto a chopping board and cut into evenly sized long portions
• place a few pieces at a time into the ground almond crumbs and coat evenly
• place the well coated pieces of fish onto the baking sheet
• repeat the process until all pieces of fish are evenly coated
• once the fish sticks have been coated and the oven is at the correct temperature, place the tray in the oven, and bake for 20-25mins
• serve with tartar sauce (and maybe a side dish)

For the tartar sauce-
Ingredients:
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup light olive oil
2 tsp of lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste
1 large pickled cucumber – finely chopped
2 tablespoons capers – chopped
1 tsp cider vinegar

• start by making your mayonnaise, whisking your egg yolks briskly while VERY slowly adding in the olive oil – refer to this website for detailed instructions if you’ve never made mayonnaise before
  
• once the mayonnaise reaches the right consistency, add the lemon juice, salt and pepper
• VERY finely chop your cucumber and capers, add into the mayonnaise with the vinegar
• mix, taste and adjust with salt and pepper to your taste

These could be enjoyed as an addition to a buffet table, eaten as a snack or served with a side dish to round it off as a whole meal.

Mo and I ate these with a portion of oven baked potato ‘fries’ (we need to work on those) but that was a special treat and I made sure to keep my carbohydrate intake low for the entire day in order to enjoy the potato. It’s been a long time since I’ve eaten potato.

If you’re being good I recommend serving with a generous portion of long stem broccoli. You can pretend they’re fries!

If you don’t like broccoli – you’re crazy!

Ooo peas! mush some of them up and be all British… although personally I can’t say I’ve ever understood the appeal of mushy peas…

These are great to make ahead of time and re-heat OR make a huge batch and freeze half to use as a convenience meal during the week, just reheat in the oven for 15-20 mins

It can be prepared in a number of ways, but my favourite involves using my spiral vegetable slicer, which spiral cuts any number of vegetables into spaghetti strings. Top with your favourite sauce, some meat balls or make a bowl of this awesome primal ramen!

You’ll almost forget about the real thing!

I’m a big fan of Japanese cuisine and there are few other dishes that can comfort you more than a giant bowl of steamy ramen noodles, with a fragrant broth, adorned with slices of meat or fish and a variety of simple yet flavourful toppings. A real mix of flavours and textures.

This dish Mo and I fashioned on a day we were both craving ramen, and wanted it FAST.

We simply used a few packets of instant miso soup sachets, added water, some zucchini noodles, mushrooms and a piece of fresh oven baked salmon.

This recipe is fast, simple and easy. But you could also make your own broth (which I hear, done the traditional way – is a lot of work). Ideally I would make it myself but I was hungry, our nearest Asian supermarket is too much of a hassle to get to and I wanted my ramen NOW!

However you choose to make it – a hearty, warming bowl of primal ramen – you can’t beat it!

Primal Zucchini Ramen

Makes: 2 servings   Takes: 25 minutes

Ingredients:
2 pieces of fresh water salmon fillets
2 tsp liquid aminos/low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp honey
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
2 small/1 large zucchini
1 Bok Choy
6 small chestnut mushrooms
1 bunch of asparagus
1 chilli
2 spring onions/scallions
2 sachets Sanchi gluten free instant miso soup*
1.5litres boiling water
3 tsp tahini

• preheat your oven to 180 C/350 F
• prep your salmon, rinse in cold water and dry. Place into a baking dish, pour on liquid aminos and honey, place in the fridge to marinate
• once oven has heated up, sprinkle with sesame seeds and place in the oven for 20-25mins (depending on the size of your fillet and how rare you like your fish)
• while the salmon is cooking get all your veggies ready.
• using a spiral slicer, make your zucchini noodles. place in a dish until you’re ready for it
• slice your mushrooms, wash your bok choy, and trim your asparagus spears
• pop your kettle on and empty 2 sachets of instant miso soup into a pot. once kettle has boiled pour in, stir and turn on the heat
• stir in 1 tablespoon of tahini and let the broth come to a simmer
• chop your spring onions/scallions and chilli
• when your salmon is about 3 minutes away from being done, throw your mushrooms, bok choy and asparagus into the simmering broth to warm through. You don’t want to over cook them, the freshness and crunch adds to the dish!
• once you have taken your salmon out the oven, split your ‘noodles’ between your ramen bowls, pour over the broth (the residual heat will be enough to cook your ‘noodles’) place the mushrooms, bok choy and asparagus into the bowls, and then place a fillet of salmon on top
• garnish with scallions and chilli
• serve immediately
  
• eat and enjoy!

* I selected this brand of instant miso soup because its ingredient list seemed the least offensive. The ingredients are labelled as: Original Miso (Gluten Free): Hatcho Miso (made from aged and fermented soya beans, water, sea salt, koji [aspergillus oryzae]), Onions, Spring Onions, Wakame Seaweed. It contains no dried tofu, MSG or any other nasty things I’ve seen on other packages.

As with the real stuff you can prepare your ramen however you like. Using the meat, fish or seafood of your choice and topped off with your favourite seasonal vegetables.

My best advice is to keep it as fresh as possible and don’t over-cook your vegetables. Not only will they lose their lovely crunch and great texture, but you’ll also be killing off all those great nutrients. We like those nutrients!

I could go on and tell you in detail about how my day went, about the foods I ate and how it all made me feel, but I wouldn’t want to bore you.

So, in short: I confirmed that pasta is pretty insignificant in my life, as is bread. I felt no urge to buy anything ‘forbidden’ whilst on a trip to the supermarket. Only fresh fruit, veg, meat and fish really appealed to me, and the one thing I had been craving for 3 of the 4 weeks of my challenge, ice cream, really managed to hit the spot!

It wasn’t just any ice cream mind, It was Chin Chin Laboratorists ice cream! London (and Europe’s) first Nitro ice cream parlour in Camden Town. Using liquid nitrogen they turn a high class liquid ice cream base into rich, smooth-as silk, ice cream perfection. With a choice of Pondicherry Vanilla, Valrhona chocolate (80%) or the weekly special PLUS a sauce and topping option. This place (to me) re-invented the concept of ice cream. I was never a huge fan of ice cream until I had this stuff!

With a serving of 80% Valrhona chocolate ice cream topped with fleur de sel caramel sauce and grilled white chocolate chunks, I was in cheat heaven! My 4 weeks of discipline felt completely worthwhile (with a fair weight loss and feeling of self satisfaction) and after craving ice cream – indulging in the smooth creamy hot cold mess – I felt content! I could have eaten a second one, but my earlier bowl of insignificant pasta disallowed me the privilege!

I have now learned my lesson!

Just have the ice cream – two servings preferably!

Having had the chance to prove I am capable of eating a disciplined primal diet, and having results to show for it, I was ready to  get back on track as soon as possible.

Tuna stuffed peppers have become quite a regular item on my menu.

They are quick, easy to make and just damn delicious!

They are also very versatile. Change up the filling to suit you, throw in things sitting in the fridge, make ‘em your own!

These things really are quite versatile. My recipe below is just one example of what you can add to the basic mix. You can make them as you wish. Throw in whatever.

Tuna Stuffed Peppers

Makes: 4 pieces  Takes: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
2 bell peppers (colour of your choice)
1 tin tuna chunks in brine/spring water (130g drained)
60g grated cheddar cheese
30g tomato puree (double concentrate)
1 spring onion/scallion (finely chopped)
10g capers
1 tomato (de-seeded and diced)

• start by turning on your grill (US:broiler) to the highest setting
• halve your peppers, and de-seed them
• place cut side down on a lined baking tray, and place under the heat for 3-4 mins, the peppers will just start to soften and the skin will be close to blistering – remove from oven, and flip them over – watch out for the steam trapped inside!
• while your peppers are under the heat, mix together your filling
• starting with the tuna and tomato puree, mix until combined
• next add in 30g of cheese, and all other ingredients
• once combined, spoon the tuna mix into the hollows and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top
• place back under the grill (US: broiler) and cook for another 3-4 minutes or until the cheese has melted, bubbling and starting to crisp up – YUM!
• plate-up, serve, eat and enjoy!

Every time I make these stuffed peppers, they’re always slightly different. I’ve added in chopped celery for crunch, a few drops of Tabasco for heat, I’ve even kept it plain and simple when nothing was in the fridge. Just stick to the basic pepper, tuna and cheese then make it your own! ( I do highly recommend including that tomato puree too!)

You really can add any number of things. Before I was being very careful about what I was eating I mixed in some umami paste – now that was delicious!

Add in whatever you like, experiment, and let me know what fabulous concoctions you come up with!

Throw in some chopped black olives, capers, Italian seasoning, and use mozzarella instead of cheddar and you’ll have yourself an Italian stuffed pepper!

Make it French, Moroccan, Indian, Chinese, Spanish – whatever cuisine you’ve a hankering for. Just use the appropriate spicing and ‘bits’ and you’ll have yourself a healthy, filling and speedy meal.

Wishing you all a very happy pepper stuffing experience!

Oooo you could even go completely crazy and use tinned salmon!

Ah! the possibilities are endless!

Don’t worry though people! I’m keeping on track – rather impressively in fact! Considering my weekend was spent on a hen/bachelorette weekend, where pretty much all food on offer was processed, coated in breadcrumbs and/or involved some form of bread or pastry.

I managed to control any urge to eat anything I shouldn’t have, and I took along some primal snack items including my onion crackers and some primal chocolate chip cookies which I had been experimenting with a couple of days before.

I know, I know – I probably shouldn’t have eaten treats such as cookies during a pure challenge, but I anticipated the junk food and thought its probably better to have primal snacks to nibble at, rather than eat what was on offer. I was pretty pleased with my efforts – except I did get back on Sunday evening feeling like I needed to eat as much as possible to make up for being deprived. Thankfully it was all primal approved fodder!

I did however drink a crazy amounts of wine :S

Oops!

Well… it’s full of antioxidants right?!

Now, “why on earth am I making macarons during this challenge?” you ask. “You have but a mere 5 days until your challenge is up!”

WHY!?

I’ll tell you why!

Yesterday evening I attended a book launch. (HA! I love how that makes me sound all important, like I rub shoulders with stars of the literary world! I suppose in such circumstances, I did)

Mo’s Aunt Miriam is launching Illegal the second book in her cycle of three novels set on Hayling Island, Hampshire, UK.

I was asked to make a tasty treat for the exclusive family-only after party – and I was very quick to accept the challenge, and immediately jumped at the chance to make some more macs! After my last batch of salted butter popcorn macarons, I was back with the mac buzz, and raring to go!

My only concern was what flavour to make them!

I knew that a lot of the audience might not have appreciated the wacky flavour combinations of Adriano Zumbo, so I tried to think up a more tame choice. I got Mo to help me out, and with blackberries being one of his favourite fruits, and them being on offer at the supermarket, I decided to tackle the mighty blackberry.

I turned to the master of macs, Pierre Herme and my go-to book when making macarons. I searched through the entire book, and there was NO sign of blackberry anywhere, so I moved on to my SIX other macaron dedicated books, which also showed no sign of a  blackberry inspired recipe.

Of course, I could have worked up some kind of simple blackberry buttercream… but I don’t work like that. I wanted to create something AWESOME!

I went back to Monsieur Herme’s Macarons and decided to adapt his recipe for blackcurrent macarons. I mean, they’re both a type of berry!

The recipe was decided upon, I was to make a blackberry ganache in the same way M. Herme makes his blackcurrent ganache, and macerate the blackberries in much the same way he macerates his blackcurrents. SORTED!

Blackberry Macarons
Adapted from Pierre Herme’s Macarons Cassis

Makes: 50 generous sized Macarons (72 regular)  Takes: Long times

Ingredients for the macerated blackberries:
200g blackberries (the smaller the better)
200g water
100g caster sugar

• start by making your macerated blackberries the day before
• place water and sugar in a small-medium saucepan, bring to the boil.
• once boiling, add your blackberries and wait until the water just starts to come back to a boil, remove pan from heat and transfer to a bowl. Leave to cool, then cover and refridgerate until needed. (preferably overnight)

Ingredients for the ganache:
450g blackberries
400g white chocolate

• next, make your ganache.
• Puree your blackberries, and then pass the puree through a fine sieve to remove all the seeds and tough pulp
• place the puree into a small saucepan
• transfer the white chocolate to a bain marie
• while the chocolate is gently melting, slowly heat your blackberry puree
• stir your chocolate constantly and once is has all melted, remove from heat and pour in your warm puree 1/3 at a time. stirring well between each addition
• once the ganache has come together, pour into a dish and cover the surface with clingfilm/plastic wrap
• place ganache in the fridge to cool and set

Ingredients for the macarons:
300g ground almonds
300g icing sugar
300g caster sugar
75g water
220g egg whites
red gel food colouring
blue gel food colouring

• prepare your baking trays with parchment paper or silicone mats
• sift the ground almonds and icing sugar to remove the coarse pieces of almond
• in the bowl of your mixer with whisk attachment weigh out 110g of egg whites
• place the remaining 110g with your almond/icing sugar mix
• place water and caster sugar into a small saucepan, and start to heat it up – placing a thermometer in the pan
• while the sugar is heating up, combine the egg whites with the almond and icing sugar into a paste
• at this point add colouring. Blackberries aren’t actually black, so you’ll want to bring your mix to a purple. be sure to make the shade extra intense, once you add the meringue the colour will dilute, a lot
• once your sugar syrup has reached 115C/239F turn your mixer on high speed to begin whipping up your egg whites.
• when the temperature reaches between 118-121C/224-249F carefully take the pan of boiling sugar over the the mixer
• turn the speed down to very low and gently pour the boiling sugar down the side of the bowl
• once all of the sugar has been poured in, increase the mixer speed back up  to maximum, and let the meringue whip until it has dropped in temperature
• fold meringue into the almond mix 1/3 at a time, being sure to break up the paste-like mixture. once all the meringue has been added, you can start to work the mix to the correct consistency.
• fold, and work the mix so that that it changes to a lava-like consistency. A good way to test this is to allow the mix to ribbon, then wait a few seconds and the definition of the lines should disappear
• transfer the mix to a piping bag fitted with a 6mm round nozzle
• pipe uniformly sized rounds of mix onto your ready-lined trays
• once piped, turn your oven on to 140C/280F
• the macarons will need to be left to dry out for about 30mins to an hour – once the oven has warmed up, and the macarons have formed skins, and are no longer tacky to the touch, you can place your first few trays in the oven to bake.
• they should take 12-14mins to bake, check regularly, and maybe turn them about 8mins into the cooking time
• to check if they are done, the top of the macaron shouldn’t wobble very much
• when out the oven, remove paper/silicone mat off tray and leave on a counter-top to cool down
• once cool, pair up the macarons ready to fill them
• drain the macerated blackberries and lay them out on paper-towel to dry off, if they are large, cut them in half
• place a small blackberry or half a blackberry onto the centre of a macaron half,
• tranfer the ganache into a piping bag, pipe your ganache neatly around the berry
• place the macaron top over the filling, and pack away into an airtight container and place in the  fridge
• allow macarons around 2 hours to come up to room temperature for an optimum indulgent experience
• eat and enjoy!

[I used fresh blackberries, but you can use frozen, just remember to allow time for them to defrost]

Phew! As always – A LOT of work and time – but totally satisfying!

The hardest part for me was not being able to taste them – I’ve stashed some away in the freezer so I can have a binge taste on Sunday – my cheat day! Woohoo!

Mo, the official taster, gave his verdict – it was positive. Everyone else who tried one last night seemed to enjoy them – I noticed some people even went back for thirds and fourths!

I, however, will have to verify their success on Sunday!

If you yourself are interested in making a batch of macarons and are new to the skill, I found Mad about Macarons by Jill Colonna to be a really helpful starter guide to making macarons. Pierre Herme’s Macarons is also an excellent book (even despite the few translation errors) for anyone who is a macaron fan – this is THE book to own – even if its just to gawk at the pictures!